


By Crooked Paths

by BettyHT



Series: Double Life [2]
Category: Bonanza
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-18
Updated: 2018-09-18
Packaged: 2019-07-13 20:49:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 23,736
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16025726
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BettyHT/pseuds/BettyHT
Summary: A sequel to A Double Life, this story finds someone leaking the details of Adam's secret life which allows those who seek vengeance to seek him out.  It is imperative to find out who is leaking the information as well as to find out who seeks revenge before Adam and those he loves are hurt or killed.





	By Crooked Paths

By Crooked Paths

Chapter 1

The title grabbed Joe Cartwright's attention at the mercantile: Rogue Ruffian Rancher of Nevada, the Demon Desperado Despoiler of Public Funds and Private Virtue. Dime novels were a passion of his despite his father's raised eyebrows and frequent comments about him wasting his time with them. To be able to read one that was about a rancher in his own state seemed more than he could have dreamed possible. He snatched it up and paid for it noting there were several more copies there. As he paid, the owner said it had been a popular item with several sold that morning already and he had only put them on the shelf when he opened up. Apparently Joe wasn't the only one who thought the subject matter was intriguing, and he congratulated the owner on his wise decision to stock up on the novel. Joe planned to keep this one in his room knowing his father wouldn't object if he said he was tired and needed to head up to his bedroom early. Then he would have a couple of hours to devour this tasty morsel without his father objecting at all. His plan worked perfectly except he hadn't realized just how impatient he would be to get to the book.

When Joe finally got to his room, he kicked off his boots and immediately dropped on his bed to begin reading making no pretense of sliding into bed. If his father poked his head in the door, he was going to see that Joe had been misleading him about why he went upstairs early. Joe devoured the first chapter and started to see some disturbing similarities to real life. He read more and every chapter made him more and more concerned until he was so upset that he had to stop reading and go talk to his father. Hoss was coming up the stairs by the time Joe headed down the stairs.

"Hoss, you probably want to stick around for this. I've got some bad news to tell Pa."

That announcement clearly made Hoss confused as to why Joe would have bad news. "You bin up in your bedroom. Lessen ya had a gal up there with ya, how could ya have bad news for Pa that ya didn't have before?"

"It's a kind of a long story. Come on down so I only have to tell it once." Joe walked down the stairs then leaving Hoss no choice.

Sitting in his most comfortable chair and enjoying a small brandy before retiring for the night, Ben Cartwright was surprised to see both sons descending the stairs and with such serious looks especially his youngest. Hoss looked more perplexed than anything. "What's going on? This looks like something serious only I haven't heard a sound so I know there's been nothing happening here for at least a few hours."

"Pa, it's this novel I bought at the store today." Seeing his father's eyebrows lower and come together, Joe could guess what he was thinking. "I know what your opinion is of these kinds of books, but I find them entertaining and they're cheap so I'm not wasting a lot of money. Heck Hoss spends more on candy in a week than I do on these. But that's not the issue we need to discuss. What we need to talk about is what's in this book."

Joe handed the book to his father who looked at the title and scoffed. "Well, he's not a master of synonyms, that's definite."

"Pa, this is serious. This book is about a Nevada rancher who runs a syndicate and kills his friend who is investigating it after luring him to Virginia City to his ranch for a visit. He marries a top undercover agent after turning her against the government and into a double agent for his criminal organization. He assassinates a top businessman and a Senator when he's in Denver, Colorado because they were about to open an investigation of him. They had found out about all of his ties to all the various crimes he had committed and then it says that he killed an ally in his home before the man could turn on him and go to the authorities with what he knew."

As Joe had talked, Hoss' eyes got big and his mouth dropped open. Ben stood and his face turned red. He was ready to throw the book into the fireplace but stared instead at the cover noticing for the first time the name of the author printed in quite large print across the top of the cover so no one would miss it.

"Tobias Wentworth Finch! I should have had Adam shoot him when we had the chance. The scandalous libelous filth he's written here is contemptible. It's the exact kind of slime that lizard would write. After all this time to come after Adam to get revenge. This book belongs in the fireplace. No one should tell Adam or Sarah either for that matter about this book."

"Pa, it's not that simple. That wasn't the only copy in the store, and he said he had sold some already before I bought one. By now, there are probably other people reading that in town already, and they would have to be completely ignorant about what's happened out here in the last year not to put this all together to realize that it's Adam that he's talking about."

"I don't want Adam to know. He's finally home and having some peace with his family and in his new house. I don't want him disturbed by this now, at least not yet. Tomorrow at church, no one should say anything. You two stick close and try to make sure no one says anything. Then they're coming here for dinner so that will take care of the rest of the day."

"That's one day, Pa. We can't keep this from Adam forever."

"I know that, Hoss, but I want a chance to speak with Hiram Wood on Monday about this. I want to know if there's any legal action we can take. Maybe a lawyer can do something against this before Adam even finds out."

"And Sarah. Pa, she's going to be as upset as Adam, and even more worried because she knows just like you know how he's likely to react."

"I know, Joe. Adam is going to be furious, and like Sarah, I'm worried about what he will do when he finds out what Finch has done."

"We have another worry, don't we, Pa? Adam told us that his role in this as well as Sarah's was kept as quiet as possible to prevent possible retaliation. They never were named in any of the articles about this although people locally knew quite a bit especially after Malcolm was shot here trying to kill Adam. But away from here, most people hadn't heard about him as having a role in this. How did Finch find out about all of this? I mean he's got all the details."

"Yes, he certainly does seem to have all the details. It seems that there may be someone in the government who helped him for some reason. We're going to have to find out who that was too."

"Mebbe when ya go ta town ta see Hiram, you could send some wires out too ta find out who's leaking out all this information to that little weasel."

"I'll do that, Hoss. Now, let's get some sleep. We don't want to look like we're too worried tomorrow at church or Adam will wonder what's wrong."

On Sunday at church, there were no unwelcome comments. Apparently whoever had purchased those books was either not a member of their church or hadn't read the book yet. At least they had some time before Adam found out about the book being published. Then they had a pleasant day at the ranch with the whole family together. Ben thought they did rather well, but they didn't do as well as he thought. That night, Adam and Sarah discussed what they perceived as some rather unusual behavior of his family.

"Adam, your family, your brothers especially, were acting a bit odd today at church. Do you have any idea why?"

"Odd in what way? I mean, with my brothers, sometimes it's hard to tell." Adam was in a mood for something other than conversation and was paying more attention to helping his wife undress for bed than he was to what she was saying.

"Now, I'm being serious. We haven't had a chance to talk all day." She couldn't fend him off entirely though as she was as interested in other activities as he was. The more his hands roamed, the less she was interested in talking too. When he started to kiss her on the back of the neck and then work his way around to her cheek, she knew it was hopeless. "All right, but can we talk after?" She was sure she heard a murmured agreement there but wasn't going to worry about that. She knew they would talk whether it was later that night or the next morning. It was the next morning.

"Yes, I did notice that Joe and Hoss seemed to be hovering and almost as if they were herding us keeping others away. It was odd. Maybe it's because there were people coughing in church, and they wanted to protect Andrew and didn't want him exposed to people who might be sick."

"I might accept that except they were acting that way before church running up to us when we arrived and hardly waiting until you stopped the carriage before they helped me out and escorted me and Andrew while your father waited for you and walked with you to the church."

"Yes, you're right. I had forgotten that. I thought at first he wanted to talk with me about something important, but it was idle chatter. That in itself was out of character for him."

"Yes, he's more like you. He usually only talks when he has something to say. He's not uncomfortable with silences."

"Not like Joe. He wonders what's wrong if there's silence and tries to fill it."

"Yes, he and Hoss did their best to dominate the conversation until services started so no one had a chance to come up to us to talk to us at all."

"You think that's what it was?"

"Adam, your brothers have never done that before. It was out of character. Something is going on, and I'd like to know what it is."

"Now, I would too, but I'm working at the mill site today, and they're both going to be up in the northern pastures. I won't see them today."

"There's no hurry. I have to get the house ready for my parents' visit. They should be here by the end of the week if all goes according to plan."

"I'm still surprised your father accepted my offer of tickets for the trip. I thought he would be too proud to accept them."

"I think my mother may have had something to do with that. She wants to see Andrew very much, and she knows we can't travel with him for quite a while yet. It would be too difficult."

Andrew was growing, but at six months was still nursing, wore diapers, and required naps both morning and afternoon or he got fussy and cried quite a lot. When he wasn't sleeping or eating, he insisted on being on the floor and moving about preferring any kind of activity to being confined to his crib. Adam shuddered to think about traveling with him, and Sarah grinned knowing exactly what he was thinking.

On the Ponderosa, Ben was thinking about another matter entirely and finished his breakfast quickly, reviewed the day's work schedule with Hoss and Joe, and then saddled up Buck for a ride to town. He had seen Hiram the day before at church and briefly mentioned that he had an important matter to discuss with him. Hiram had told him that his morning was open and to come to town anytime before noon. When Ben finished explaining the whole situation to Hiram, he was dismayed by the answer he got.

"Ben, libel laws are not as helpful as you might think. First, we would have to show that Adam is indeed the subject who is portrayed in the book. That would do exactly what you do not want done which is to showcase what Adam did in his work as an undercover agent and probably as well the work that Sarah did. Then we would have to show that portraying that has had a negative impact on Adam or on Sarah. At that point, we could get the book stopped from being published and all those not sold could be recalled. However that would make those already sold all the more valuable. Finally even if we meet those two conditions, we would have to show that the author and, by extension, the publisher were aware of the possible negative consequences when they had the book published in order to get damages from them. Most likely they would get to keep all the profits made from the publication of the book."

"So you're telling me that there's absolutely nothing we can do?"

"No that's not what I meant to convey. What I said was that a libel suit would not achieve what you want to accomplish. However, if you want to spend the money, we can tie them up in court by filing requests for injunctions and other legal actions. It could make them frustrated enough to drop the publication as too much trouble. Anything that cuts into profits is a high motivation to a publishing company because their profits usually aren't that big to start."

"Is that what you recommend?"

"If you want to do something to stop the publication and distribution of that novel, yes, it would be my recommendation. It will be costly though. I have to warn you about that."

"Start doing what you have to do and send the bills to me. I want this stopped."

Leaving Hiram's office, Ben was hailed by Dan DeQuille from the Territorial Enterprise. He must have seen Ben come into town and been waiting for him. Dan didn't usually sit on a bench and watch people move through town. Ben had a guess what he wanted and was correct in that.

"Ben, I got a copy of a very interesting book yesterday from a citizen in town. She had read it and found that the title character seemed to resemble Adam very much. It has the rather unwieldy title of Rogue Ruffian Rancher of Nevada, the Demon Desperado Despoiler of Public Funds and Private Virtue. Would you like to comment on that?"

"No, I would not."

"If our paper would secure the right to serialize the book, what would your reaction be?"

"I would have my lawyer filing every legal action imaginable against you, your editor, and your paper until my last penny was spent."

"I guess that is your comment on that then."

Without anything more than a scowl in response, Ben mounted up on Buck to ride out of town but made one stop at the general store. Dan walked back to the newspaper offices to tell his editor that the idea he had was not a good one and would cause them far more trouble than the editor's wife had in mind when she had given him that dime novel.

Chapter 2

Dan would have been well served to sit on that bench a bit longer for he would have seen Tobias Wentworth Finch arrive in Virginia City. Of course, he probably wouldn't have recognized him, but when word started being passed around town that the author of the dime novel that was the subject of so much gossip was in town, Dan would likely have made the connection with the smarmy looking short man who had arrived on the late morning stage. Instead, he never saw him and Finch was disappointed that no one recognized him on his arrival. He did announce his name to anyone who cared to listen though and soon word was being passed around. By then though, Finch was up in his hotel room meeting with his co-conspirators and enjoying himself immensely and gloating about how well things were progressing. He loved to see their looks of what he interpreted as admiration for the job he had been doing.

"Sales of my book are going through the roof here and in California. People can't get enough of it. Some say it's my best work yet and accolades are pouring in. I'm getting many offers to write for various publishing houses. I'm thinking about which ones to accept right now."

"Finch, you only got that because we gave you the story. You couldn't have thought of a story like that to save your life." Owen Lewis smirked as he sipped his brandy and smoked his fine cigar, both of which he had brought to Finch's room. He knew the writer wouldn't have anything that would suit his tastes just like he knew the little weasel was fuming now but didn't dare dispute what he had said. He enjoyed taking him down whenever he got all pumped up like he was at the moment. He decided to give him some orders to remind him who was in charge. "Next up, all you need to do is flaunt yourself around town to make sure to stir things up enough to get young Cartwright mad enough to come after you."

"You'll protect me from him, though, won't you, just like you said you would?"

It pleased Owen so much to see Finch's whole demeanor change. "Of course I will. Cartwright won't kill you. I know him that well. I've studied him. He will push the limits of the law, but he won't cross the lines. He won't kill you."

Finch stared at the floor but what he wanted to do most was smash his fist into Owen's face. The man liked to remind him all the time about who was superior and who was in charge. He decided to challenge him a little more to try to save some of his pride. "I don't know. You've never seen him angry. I have."

Owen wasn't bothered by the puny attempt to take a swipe at him. "He has a temper. We know that, but he's smart. He'll try to use the law and anyone else he can use to get you. He won't put all his cards on the table. He didn't in Denver. He walked into that house knowing he had allies outside. He played our partners and they ended up dead. Well we're going to play him this time. We're not putting all our cards on the table. He's the one who won't know what's going on until it's too late to do anything about it."

Finch found that even more irritating. The man was lecturing him. "He's a dangerous man."

That one pushed Owen too far though. "So am I and don't forget it. No one should question me. Is that clear?" The implied threat was all too clear.

Swallowing audibly, Finch nodded. He waited for the other man to speak. It was the brother of the Senator who had been killed in Colorado the year before when the head of the syndicate had murdered him intending to blame it on Adam only to be gunned down by government agents instead a few minutes later. Clark was consumed by the desire for revenge. He was here for only that reason and would do anything that Owen wanted as long as it meant that Adam Cartwright would die. Finch still didn't understand their full plan, but though loath to admit it, he was afraid of these two men so he didn't ever push them to tell more than they were willing to tell him. Besides, he figured that the less he knew, the less he could be held responsible if the plan went awry and they ended up arrested instead of Adam. It didn't matter so much to him any more. He had gotten a big dose of revenge on Adam already, and it had been highly profitable too.

Looking at Finch and seeing the fear of Owen give way to smiling, Clark correctly guessed that Finch was back to thinking about himself. "Finch, don't you have some walking about town to do?"

Startled, Finch stood and moved toward the door. It was his room though and he wasn't sure exactly what to do about the two men sitting in it and now he was doubly insulted to have Clark ordering him about too. He decided there was only one way to handle it. "You gentlemen are welcome to stay in my room as long as you want. I'll be out and about for hours, I guess. I won't be back until dark. I'll have dinner and maybe even go to a saloon and have a drink. Is that a good plan?"

Owen smirked again at the way he and Clark had made Finch twist in the wind like laundry on the line. "Oh, that's a fine plan. And, it may be the room you are occupying, but remember who's footing the bill."

"Yes, sir, I mean, yes, Owen, I will. I am grateful, and I'll do just what you want. You won't be disappointed in me, Owen. You can count on me." With that, Finch pulled the door closed behind him, took a deep breath, and headed down the hall trying to regain his composure. Those men shook him up. Somehow being with them was worse than attending a funeral. Talking with Owen Lewis was like talking to the devil himself. It was irritating though to have Owen Lewis have to remind him that he was paying for the room. After all, he was doing a favor for the man so paying for the room was small recompense for what Finch was doing for him. He was quite full of himself and Finch was looking forward to the time when he would be able to gain the upper hand on that inflated blowhard. He had seen men like him before who had so much over-confidence. They looked just as defeated as a drunk in the gutter when someone took them down, and Finch smiled as he thought about how he could look down his nose at Owen Lewis when that day came. Finch shook himself to get rid of that image of Lewis with that dangerous leer and thought instead of him cowed and defeated. It allowed him to adopt a fake smile as he walked down the stairs into the hotel lobby where he prepared himself to meet his many adoring fans or as many as he could find who at least knew who he was and liked his book. He guessed he would probably have to find a way to introduce himself and make sure people knew who he was. He began to think about how to accomplish that and headed for the store that was selling his book where he got some bad news.

Up in his room, Owen and Clark laughed about Finch. Clark had a question for Owen that surprised him. Owen had no idea Clark was that perceptive and decided he needed to be more careful around him.

"When you said Cartwright would never kill him, you of course left out the part about who would kill him. Who is going to kill Finch? He's too much of a liability to let live."

"I'll have someone in my organization take care of Tobias Finch when his usefulness is at an end. For now, he still has a role to play. It doesn't have to be killing him though. He simply has to leave. What makes you think I would have him killed?"

"Oh, I thought you were the kind of man who didn't leave potential trouble laying about."

"Finch is only interested in money. Men like that are easy to take care of. He will be fine as long as he works for me."

"You're the boss, but if my brother had taken care of problems like Adam Cartwright and others sooner, then he would still be alive and so would the rest of the leaders of the syndicate. You're lucky to have survived. We're the only two that the agents didn't uncover from the top echelons. My brother was dead so he couldn't turn me in, and the men who knew you were part of the organization died in jail. That was lucky for you." Clark watched to see Owen's reaction. He had done this several times because he suspected that Owen had had his friends killed before they could inform on him in order to get a better deal for themselves. Owen never twitched though. He was either innocent or had the nerves of a Mojave sidewinder. Clark couldn't tell which but decided he better watch his back as well as he could.

"Now, we shouldn't be seen together. I want you to get to work on your assignment. Watch Adam Cartwright and keep track of his movements. I want to know where he is and what his schedule is like. We may need to take him at some point, and I want to know the best way to do it. While you're at it, keep track of his pretty wife as much as possible too. I'll send two of my men with you. You're in charge, but send regular reports back with one of them. I've given you enough money for any supplies you may need."

"I'm ready. I can't wait for this plan to play out. I wish I knew all the details, but as long as you promised me that Cartwright will go to the gallows, that's good enough for me. When I see him swinging from a rope, I'll be satisfied. You will never find a more loyal man in your employ than me."

"That's good to know, Clark. I know I can trust you. I wish I could trust Finch like that, but he's only a temporary employee."

Again, Clark got the impression that Finch was going to die, but didn't dare say anything to contest what Owen had said earlier. Once Clark had left, two men stepped into the room from the adjoining room from where they had heard everything.

"Boss, I think Clark is figuring out the plan."

"That's all right because I think he's only figured out what's going to happen to Finch. He doesn't know what's going to happen to him. He doesn't see it at all because he's so focused on trying to guess what I'm going to do to Finch. Let's keep him focused on that for as long as possible. He may be very useful along the way as a way to insulate me from any potential trouble. Now, one of you, go with Clark and take one of the other men we hired here. In a couple of days, give me a detailed schedule of what Adam and his wife have been doing. The other, go find Finch and stay close enough to hear what he's saying. Once he's back here for the night, report back to me no matter what time it is."

"Boss, Ben Cartwright was in town this morning seeing a lawyer. Should we try to find out what the lawyer is doing?"

"No, by tomorrow morning, I'll have a few more of my men here including a lawyer. I'll have him do some checking. You concentrate on your job. While you're at it, find out what you can about the Cartwrights from the two men we hired. They must have heard gossip, maybe played cards or had a drink with one or more of them, or maybe know friends of theirs. Anything you can find out, let me know. I'm filling out a file on each one of them. Before we put this plan completely into action, I want to know exactly who we're up against. Ben Cartwright shot Malcolm so he's a force to be reckoned with and he knows enough to enlist a lawyer already. That tells me he's one we're going to have to deal with too."

"I've seen him around a bit since you sent us here to get things set up. He's got that walk that says he's in charge. You know the kind. He won't take anything lying down. He's one to come out fighting. When his boy is in trouble, he'll be there to back him up. Maybe he could have a little accident to keep him out of action for a while?"

"We'll see. We may have to add that to the plan. Now you two go do what you have to do." After they left, Owen sat back and finished his brandy and his cigar. He thought about how his list of people to eliminate kept getting longer including the two men he had just sent out to do his work. He was going to miss them the most, but they already knew too much, and he had seen what could happen when there were men who knew too much. If they got in trouble, they turned on you and told all they knew to get themselves a good deal. Once this job was over, they were expendable because he could find others just as good who didn't know what these two knew. He could rebuild the syndicate from the ground floor with no one knowing any more than he wanted them to know as soon as he flushed out the undercover agents who had helped Adam and Sarah bring down the original syndicate. He wasn't positive how many there were, but based on his sources in Denver, he believed it was only two. Four government agents and four men working with him would soon be dead, and then he would be the only one left. He smiled and puffed away savoring the taste of an expensive cigar and expensive brandy. He still had the plates for counterfeiting, still had contacts for a number of other enterprises, and only needed this plan to succeed to begin rebuilding. It had to happen soon though because his funds were nearly used up. Without the syndicate operations, he had no source of income and all that money stashed away was rapidly dwindling into nothing. He was glad that he had no belief in God and an afterlife because if he did, he would have a lot to fear for the things he had done and for what he planned to do.

Owen had plans for Finch, but Finch was making plans for Owen too. Finch had started taking notes on Owen Lewis thinking that once his book on Adam had garnered enough publicity for him, he would write one about Owen Lewis. If the Rogue Ruffian Rancher didn't get serialized, Finch guessed he could probably get a book about the Demon Devil Double Dealer sold to the big city papers when so many were beginning to champion the fight against corruption. He was beginning to see some of it up close and had a good model for his next subject. To that end, Finch was filling notebooks with sketches, notes, and information about Owen Lewis and all the men he had met because of the man. Finch had no idea how important that was going to be eventually especially as Owen had no idea that he was doing anything like that. Finch grinned every time he thought about it. It was going to be sweet revenge for how Owen made him feel when they were together. Finch usually had to struggle so he didn't wet himself as Owen always looked at him like a hawk looked at a mouse scurrying about down below. Finch thought he shouldn't treat him that was as they were partners but was smart enough never to say that. Instead, he was going to serve his revenge cold and when he was no longer anywhere near Owen Lewis.

When Lewis' man caught up to Finch, Finch was grinning that usual inane grin he had. Lewis' man had no idea why he could be smiling, but then again, he had no respect for Finch so never thought he might have a plan of his own.

Chapter 3

That night on the Ponderosa, Ben asked Hoss and Joe to stay at the dining table after dinner was concluded because they had some serious business to discuss. Both had been expecting something like that ever since their father had arrived home obviously agitated but not ready to talk. They had waited for him to choose the time.

"We figured on you wanting to talk. We're ready ifn you are, Pa. I'm guessin' the talk with Mister Wood didn't go too good, huh?"

"No, Hoss, it didn't. It seems that libel laws aren't very helpful in a situation like this. We would end up publicizing what we want to keep quiet by bringing it to court and making a huge issue of it. We also would have to show how this book has harmed Adam or Sarah in order to get damages from the author and the publisher."

"So we just have to let them go on selling that book no matter how much damage it does?"

"No, Joe, I did buy the two books that were still at the store, and I warned him that if he bought any more, I would open up a competing store and do my best to get every rancher and miner to spend their money at my store even if it meant I had to run a price war. He got my message."

"That's it. That's all we can do. Pa, that don't seem like enough. Dadburnit, when Adam finds out, he's like as not gonna do something 'bout this, and you know that temper a his. We need to get this under control before he finds out."

"Hiram is going to hit the publishers with other legal problems and hope that they will back off publishing that book because fighting us in court will cut into their profits too much. I'm telling you because it's going to cost us. Are you all right with my telling Hiram to go ahead and do that?" Both Hoss and Joe agreed immediately. "As for telling Adam, I'm going to do that tomorrow morning. I'll take the two books I bought and bring them over there to show him and let he and Sarah have them. They can burn them when they've had a chance to skim through them. I'll tell Adam what I've told you, and we can talk. Hopefully I'll be able to keep him calm enough for the time being. He does have a young son who should be his main concern right now, and his in-laws are due to arrive this week so he can't go rushing off to see the publishers or to find Finch."

It was the next morning when Ben found out that his careful plan was going to need some adjustment. Roy Coffee arrived at the ranch shortly after breakfast. Ben greeted him and wondered at his early arrival especially as it was during the week and none of the hands had been in town.

"Ben, it ain't about anything that's happened really. I'm more concerned about what might happen next."

"I suppose you've heard about the book. I'm going to go talk to Adam about that this morning. I'll try to calm him down, but what would that have to do with you. I already got the store to agree not to sell any more books so there's no more trouble in town?"

"Now there's where you're wrong, Ben. Ya see, that Finch fella showed up in town on the stage yesterday. He's been around town and talking some. Now he's found out that no one in town will sell his book and the paper won't serialize it. Instead he's come up with a plan about having a reading and offering a free copy of the book to anyone who comes to the reading. Guess he brought extra copies of the book with him. Ben, I can't hardly stop something like that."

"I can. I'll get Hiram to file an injunction against it. I'll hit him with every legal device we can think of until he can't afford to have that reading as he calls it. It's a publicity stunt and nothing more."

"Well, he's shur stirred things up in town, I can tell you that. He's been talking about that book of his, and if anybody asks if it's Adam, well, he just says it's fiction and how it would be libel maybe to write about a real person and say things so nasty about him, but then he laughs like he ain't telling the whole truth. Ya know what I mean?"

"Oh, I know what you mean, Roy. I've met Finch before."

"Most folks ain't read the book seeing as how there's only two that was sold in town and nobody seems to know where one of them is so there's only one being passed around. Ifn I could get hold of it somehow, I would."

"Roy, I have an idea. You can put a bounty on that book. Tell them I'll pay one hundred dollars to have that book in your hands by the end of the day today. I'll get the money for you right now so you can pay cash to whomever brings that book to you."

"Ben, what if the one who's got the second book comes in too?"

"I'll give you enough for that one too." Ben handed over two hundred dollars

"Well, now, that might just make my job a bit easier. Thank ya, Ben. I'll head on back and you do what you gotta do to keep Adam from coming into town. I wanted to tell ya so you could take care of things peacefully 'cause I got a feeling if Adam gets anywhere near that Finch, I'll be locking Adam up, and you know what I mean."

"Can't you run Finch out of town?"

"If he makes a disturbance of any kind, I will, but so far, he's done nothing to give me the right to do that."

"I wish he would." Ben too was worried about what Adam would do when he found out about Rogue Ruffian Rancher and that Finch was in town.

Later the same morning when Ben finished telling Adam about the situation, Adam had the predictable reaction in that he wanted to go to town to confront Finch. He and Sarah had not spent much time perusing the books Ben had brought because the title itself was quite a signal that there was trouble and of course Ben's demeanor and his special trip there signaled that there was something wrong with the book. All they needed was a quick skim to find that there was far too much in the book that was about them especially about Adam. Sarah was Ben's ally though in keeping Adam from doing what his temper made him inclined to want to do to Finch.

"They're baiting you. If you go after Finch, you would be doing exactly what they want you to do. You would be nothing more than their puppet on a string."

Ben waited as he watched Adam consider what Sarah had said marveling at the calm way his son accepted her response. He trusted his wife, which was so important to their relationship. After a moment, Adam had a question for her to get her opinion to help him clarify his own thoughts.

"What should I do?"

"Make them show their hand. There's something more going on here than one book being published by one man who wants to get even with you and make money in the process."

Now that had Ben confused but he saw Adam nodding and realized he had missed something. "Why do you say that?"

With a slight smile, Adam answered. "Because in my anger at what was being done, I missed the obvious point. How did Finch know all of this? Much of what he has attributed to me and insinuated that Sarah knew or participated in too could only be known by someone who was investigating it or was being investigated. I doubt very much that Finch has visited these men in prison and solicited their knowledge of what occurred, so he has gained access to the government records or there is someone out there that escaped detection."

"Which do you think is more likely?"

Looking over at Sarah, Adam could see from her expression what she thought. "There's someone else out there. Finch wouldn't pay what it would have taken to bribe people to get at the government records. Someone gave him that information."

"But why come after you and Sarah?"

"I don't know, but it could be retribution. We always had the feeling that some people slipped through the cracks in the investigation. In a criminal operation that big, there's always the chance of missing some people when you take it down. That's why Sarah's advice makes sense. We need them to show their hand. We need to know more of what they're trying to do and who they are."

Looking at Sarah, Adam said only one more thing. "Zee."

She agreed. "Yes, we could use his help."

"I got a telegram when Adam was hurt that told us Sarah was coming and it was signed with the letter Z. Is that the same person?"

"It is, Pa, but you won't likely be meeting him. He likes to stay in the background and work quietly behind the scenes. I'll send a wire to the Treasury Department saying we need help. We have a code that we were given to use should we need Zee's help. If we send it, he should show up here. In fact, if they know about this book, they may have put him on the case already. It may be best if I write it out and you send it when you go to town."

Ben agreed to that. "Sarah, I know your parents are due to arrive this week. Is this going to be awkward?"

"Perhaps a little. We may need to have some help picking them up in town. Other than that, I think we'll stay away from town. That will frustrate whomever is doing this. If they know Adam, they'll be expecting him to confront Finch. When he doesn't, they'll have to come up with a new plan. It will give us time to find out what we can."

"Pa, can you let Roy know about our conversation so he can watch Finch and try to find out who he's seeing in town. He can't be doing this alone."

So Ben went to town to have Hiram take any legal action he could against Finch and his proposed public reading and spent some time with Roy explaining his discussion with Adam and Sarah. Xavier Gilbert had already talked with Roy without identifying himself as the man known as Zee, but his obvious concern for Adam and Sarah and what he proposed to do let Roy know he was a friend. He had asked Roy to keep his presence in strictest confidence so he could do his work. As Finch moved about town, Zee watched and noted the man who was always shadowing him. A trip to Finch's hotel led to the discovery that his room was being paid for by a corporation that was also paying for three other rooms at the hotel. Zee knew then that he needed help and sent a wire for his partner, Mike, to come to Virginia City. He guessed that someone they had missed in their original investigation of the criminal syndicate that Adam and Sarah had helped bring down was behind this situation, and he feared what their ultimate goal was. Unless the two of them could come up with something concrete, they wouldn't get any more help on this case so he began to work in earnest to uncover as much as he could.

Within a few days, Adam and Sarah headed to town with the rest of the Cartwrights and Candy too to welcome Sarah's parents. With such a large entourage, it was nearly impossible for anyone to approach either Adam or Sarah to say anything as one of the four men with them made sure of it. Once her parents were there and introduced to everyone, Hoss and Candy got their luggage loaded into the buckboard and Adam and Sarah got into the larger carriage with them as Ben and Joe mounted up on their horses to ride beside them. The whole group proceeded out of town without any disturbance being made. It had all worked smoothly. No one had known they were coming to town, and with the plan they had, no one had been able to cause a disturbance of any kind either. Watching nearby, Zee saw Finch frustrated on not being able to approach Adam to say something and then saw him exchange some angry words with a man a short time later. It was a different man than the one who had been shadowing him so Zee had increased his list to three men who were involved in whatever plot that was unfolding. He wasn't sure what it was, but he thought it was probably time to contact Adam and Sarah to discuss it with them.

The trip to the Ponderosa took quite a bit of time as Adam and Sarah showed off some of the sights taking her parents on the long way to their home. Andrew was at their house with a neighbor who had agreed to stay with him. Adam explained to Augie and Marcella that Andrew was rather fierce in his crying if he missed his naps so they thought it best to leave him home for his morning nap so he would be in a better mood on meeting his grandparents. Marcella smiled and said that their son Paul had been much the same way. That afternoon after lunch, Augie and Marcella Mueller spent their time playing with their grandson and holding him while he napped. Adam said they were going to spoil him, but Sarah only smiled and told him that one day wasn't going to spoil him. Adam wasn't so sure. That evening, they had dinner at the main house, and the Muellers were impressed with the large scale of it as well as its comfortable nature and casual appeal. They enjoyed Adam's home too with its efficient layout and modern conveniences in the midst of the Nevada mountain country. His home reflected his personality with a place for everything and everything in its place, but Sarah's touches were clear too with bright colors highlighting each room and windows letting in bright sunlight with each one framed by fashionable curtains. Augie and Marcella noted how the two homes reflected their owners so well.

After their long trip and the busy day, they were ready to retire to their guest room quite early. Adam went outside to see to his horses and two milk cows in his small stable. As he neared the stable, something didn't seem right. He drew his pistol and approached cautiously entering slowly and keeping the lantern off to his left and looking away from it to keep his vision focused on what was in the shadows as much as he could. Zee raised his arms and stepped out from a stall.

"You do have good instincts for survival. I think you're going to need them again too."

"I could have shot you."

"No, I know you so I knew you wouldn't. I was waiting for you. We need to talk, and I saw you had guests and didn't want to disturb you." Then Zee filled him in on what he had found out which wasn't that much but pointed at a plot. He shared his suspicions too which mirrored those that Adam and Sarah had. "I'm in agreement with Sarah that they wanted you to confront Finch. I wonder why though. What could be the purpose of that?"

"I think they want to draw you out and probably Mike too, but how could me confronting Finch do that?"

"Yes, that's a strange way to go about it. There's definitely something we're missing here. Maybe you can tell Sarah what I've told you and she can come up with a theory. Or you can keep thinking about it and come up with one. We're operating in the dark here. I've contacted Mike to join me here, but I don't know when he'll arrive. He's always been the one who's the best at coming up with theories."

"Where are you staying?"

"In your stable tonight, if you don't mind?"

"I'd invite you to stay in the house, but the guest bedroom is taken."

"No, I'll be fine here. I will join you for breakfast though if you're willing to extend the invitation?"

"Of course. Have you had dinner?" When Zee said he hadn't, Adam told him to feed the horses and get them some water and he would be back with some dinner by the time he finished. Sarah was busy with Andrew so Adam got the food heated for Zee and returned to the stable with that and an extra blanket. He showed Zee where the extra lantern was in case it was needed, and showed him that there was a cot in the tack room.

"You think of everything."

"Sometimes we have a hand stay over here when there's some work that needs to be done so it seemed a sensible thing to include. Join us for breakfast in the morning. I'll introduce you to Sarah's parents as a hand staying over to do some work. You can stay here in the stable whenever you need a place."

"Thank you. This will work out well."

Chapter 4

On that morning when Adam's in-laws arrived in Virginia City, Owen Lewis couldn't have felt more frustrated when he saw Finch so ineffectually trying to approach Adam Cartwright and failing so miserably. His plan hinged on Finch getting Adam Cartwright angry in public and letting that famous temper do the rest as Owen had no doubt it would do. Everything he had learned about Adam said that he would threaten Finch and probably grab the little weasel while he did it. Owen was actually looking forward to that part for there had been a number of times he wanted to grab Finch and throttle him. He wanted to see his eyes bug out and his lips turn blue. It had been years since Owen had actually done anything like that. He paid other people to do that kind of work for him now, but he had to admit to himself that there were times he missed doing it himself. Later, standing in his hotel room and staring out the window as he thought about what had happened that morning, he experienced one of those times. The feel of that man's scrawny neck in his hands as he slowly throttled the life out of him and looked into his eyes as he knew he was dying and knew who was killing him and couldn't do anything to stop was the kind of feeling of power that Owen had always enjoyed. As a child, he had killed animals but the ones he enjoyed killing most were the ones he had been able to tie up or trap so that he could kill them as they looked at him knowing they were going to die and he was the one who was going to do it. Some snarled and spat at him and others cowered, but all of them in effect were paying homage to his power, and he knew it and loved the feeling. He decided at that moment that he was going to kill someone, and he knew exactly who it was going to be and how he was going to do it. It made him excited just to think about the new plan. He had to do something with the way he felt so he told the two men in his room that he was going for a walk.

"You want we should come out and walk behind ya, boss, ta make sure nobody is following ya or nothing?"

Owen's first inclination was to say no. He wanted to continue that feeling of being all-powerful, but his truly powerful survival instinct kicked in and he told the men what to do. Before they could go out though, one of the men who was assigned to watch Adam Cartwright was there to give a report.

"He's got guests in the house. It's an old man and an old woman look to be her parents. What's a lot more interesting though is there's a man staying in the stable. He came in when he was nearly dark the first day we got there, and he's still there. He has breakfast with them, and then he heads toward town here."

Owen wanted to know what the man looked like and his employee produced a sketch that he and the others had made. It was rather crude as none of them were artists but it was a fair rendering of the man. When Owen saw the sketch, he had that feeling of déjà vu and wondered where he might have seen this man before because he was sure that he had. It was one of the other men who had an idea.

"I think I seen him in town. He seems to be lounging around on a bench a lot. I figured him for a cowboy out of work, but maybe he's more than that."

Owen's previous disappointment in Finch began to dissipate as he realized that Finch and his book might have brought one of the agents he wanted to Virginia City. "All right, you know what he looks like, so you're staying here. We'll send someone else out to help watch Cartwright. Now, here's the plan. I want the three of you to spread out and move west along the street. One can even step into a shop and buy some candy or something. Then I'll come out and move in that same direction. I want you to see if that man shows up. If he does, then the hunter becomes the hunted. Follow him after I'm back here. If we're able to identify him and follow him, we'll keep a man or two on him from now on."

"You think he's one of the men we want, don't you?"

"He possibly could be."

"Why don't we just take him out and make him disappear for you?"

Sighing in exasperation to have his orders questioned again, but at least this time, it was from ignorance and an effort to help him rather than to challenge his authority. He wasn't angry. "If he is one of those I want to draw out, then he will help draw out any others. He has to be alive to do that, now doesn't he?"

"Oh, yeah. Sorry, boss. I shouldna said nothing."

Owen decided that this one might be dumb enough to keep around longer at least until he had a lot more men hired after this operation was completed. "What's your name?"

"Matt."

"Matt what?"

"Oh, Matt, sir."

"No, what's your last name?"

"Oh, Johnson. My name's Matt Johnson."

"Real name?"

"Huh? Oh, yes, sir, my real name. My folks are Johnsons from Kentucky, sir."

Owen smiled. He didn't do that often in true amusement, but this naïve man who was willing to kill for him did amuse him. He might be willing to keep him around. He could be useful with his willingness to do anything and apparently not enough intelligence to remember much else. That was a real benefit in an employee as far as he was concerned. "I like you, Johnson. You may have a bright future working for me." Johnson beamed as Owen smiled and the others were clearly confused. That ended quickly though as Owen told them that they had their assignments and to get to work. He waited for them to get outside and in position and then walked down the stairs regally and outside for a leisurely stroll. He never spotted the man who had been mentioned which in itself was a clue that he was probably a professional. When he returned to his hotel room an hour later, he poured himself a brandy and waited for his men to return or at least two of them as he wanted one to be following the man they had been hoping to locate and observe. It didn't take long for the two men to get to the door. Not too surprisingly, they had sent Johnson to follow the man.

"Johnson isn't the brightest. Why send him?"

"He tracks better than any of us. If he loses sight of him, he can track him. Besides, we know where he's going by nightfall. The man was definitely checking you out, boss. He followed you rather well too always keeping other people or things between you and him."

That confirmed Owen's suspicions. "It has to be one of the men we wanted to flush out. All right, that makes three. Now we need the fourth one. Hopefully he'll show when Cartwright is in trouble and the other man is missing. Finch needs to put on his show on Sunday. Find him and tell him I need to see him this evening after dinner. That's all for now. You can go relax for a few hours. I'll have dinner in the restaurant here after I meet with my lawyer. I have some work for him to do too."

Enjoying his dinner, Finch was disturbed by a cowboy bumping into his chair and making him drop his fork. The cowboy picked it up and handed it back with an apology and then a whispered message. "Boss wants to see you after dinner. He has some orders for you so go as soon as you're done eating." Mildly irritated by the bump, Finch was incensed by the imperious nature of the summons he had received. In his mind, they were partners in this enterprise but Owen was treating him like some lackey. He didn't like it, and he was going to tell Owen if he didn't start treating him with more respect, he was backing out of this deal and heading back to San Francisco. After all that had happened, he had decided to sign with a publishing company and didn't need Owen any more. He had some sweet revenge and made a tidy profit while doing so. The fire that had burned inside him had been banked. He was ready for all of this to be over. He prepared himself to go up to Owen's room to see him and have it out with him.

Up in his room, Owen was working on the fine points of his plan by having his lawyer ready to cover what he expected the Cartwrights and the sheriff to do. "I expect them to be filing all sorts of legal blocks in Finch's way of doing that public reading. You step in to represent Finch on behalf of the publishing company. No one is going to question that in the short term, and by the time anyone would likely think to check into it, this will already be over. Now of more immediate concern is what I want Finch to do on Sunday. After that, the sheriff may try to force him to leave town. For my purposes, I need Finch here. Whatever the sheriff does, you have to stop him by whatever legal means you have or at the very least delay whatever action he attempts to take. I want all attention focused on Finch and his troubles with the Cartwrights, or more specifically with Adam Cartwright."

Once the lawyer had asked any questions he needed to ask, he left to begin preparing any legal documents he would need to have on hand. Owen sat back to enjoy his usual brandy and a fine cigar as he felt his plan coming together again. That one of the agents who had worked with Adam and Sarah had already shown up was gratifying to him and reinforced his belief that he had developed a foolproof plan. He was sure that the man they had spotted had to be one of the government agents. He wondered when the other one would show. It made him a little nervous not knowing where the other one was. He knew he did this to others but hated the feeling when it was done to him. When Finch finally arrived, he was in no mood for any trouble from him. He thought when Finch walked in that he looked like a little prancing rooster about to strut his stuff. The glare he gave him must have been enough. Finch agreed to his request without so much as a single word of objection. He found that somewhat remarkable, but when Finch left, he looked in the mirror and gave himself the same glare. Then he laughed for he knew how frightened Finch must have been seeing him look that way. He looked like he wanted to kill something or someone. He did, but not Finch, at least not that night. Of course Finch didn't know that and could only go by what he could see, and what he had seen had probably nearly made him wet himself. Owen liked that image too and was in a much better mood by the time he slid under the covers to enjoy a very pleasant night dreaming of the wealth and power that was to be his.

However Finch didn't sleep hardly at all resenting the way he felt humiliated in Owen's room. His resolve to challenge him had disintegrated under the man's intimidating look. He had felt like a wounded animal must feel with vultures circling above waiting for the sure demise. That was how Owen looked at him. He looked down on him, but also looked at him as if he was expendable. Finch wondered about that. Surely he didn't want him to do as he asked in order for him to get killed. The more he thought about it, he guessed that perhaps Owen did wish it, but he knew Adam Cartwright would never gun him down when he was unarmed no matter what he said. Besides, he was going to confront him when he was with his family and surely they would restrain him from any outrageous act. And what Owen wanted him to say was outrageous and far worse than anything that Finch would ever have said on his own. He had nothing against Adam's wife and would never have thought to insult her in order to get even with her husband. She was included in the book because Owen had insisted on it and that had seemed like it wasn't so awful, but what Owen wanted him to say was going quite a bit further than that. He was going to have to work up his courage to be able to go through with it, but then that was going to have to be it. He was going to wash his hands of Owen Lewis and get out of town. Meanwhile he had a lot more material for his notes and sketches and spent a good part of the night adding to those.

Chapter 5

On Sunday morning, as instructed, Finch headed to church which was something he hadn't done in years. At least he believed in God. Finch wondered about Owen Lewis though and doubted that he ever attended church or had any faith at all. He knew Lewis was attending services as well though because he wanted to witness the confrontation, but smiled as he imagined the building going up in flames when Lewis set foot inside. Then his mind returned to what he had to do and the smile faded away. He saw the Cartwrights arriving and hurried to get inside before they saw him. He was to stage his little act in the church itself according to Owen's plan so that there would be the greatest number of witnesses and no mistake about what was said. He took a seat at the end of a row near the back and waited. When Adam walked in with his family, he was ready for him.

"How dare you set foot in the house of the Lord after the things you've done? And you bring her with you? Tell me, that baby was born rather soon after you were married."

"Finch, shut your mouth!"

"Did you bed her to win her over or did you force her?"

At that point, Adam lunged toward Finch and Hoss and Ben grabbed him to restrain him. Finch wasn't quite finished though.  
"I suppose once she was heavy with child, she had no choice but to take your side and keep her mouth shut about what you did."

Ben and Hoss could keep Adam from striking Finch although it was challenging, but they couldn't stop him from talking. "Finch, shut your mouth or I'll shut it for you."

"Like you did with all those others? Are you going to shoot me too?"

"I'll do whatever it takes to get you to stop spreading your filthy lies."

By then, there were enough concerned members of the congregation who decided the best course of action was to get Finch out of the building. They propelled him through the doors and down the steps letting him know he was not welcome in their church because of his behavior. He left them with a few choice comments and turned to walk back to the hotel. He was hailed then by an older gentleman.

"Mister Finch, is it? May I have a moment with you?"

Finch waited for the man wondering what he wanted and expected that perhaps he had a question about what had been said inside. Instead the man smashed a mighty powerful roundhouse swing into Finch's jaw nearly lifting him off his feet and knocking him on his back in the dirt. Looking up in pain and shock, Finch had no idea why the man had hit him until he spoke.

"If you ever speak of my daughter in that way again, you'll get the same and maybe more. You need to learn some proper respect for people. Your book was enough trash but speaking it especially in church shows that you've got no proper respect for people at all. Now, get on your way before I decide you haven't had enough of a lesson."

The man turned and walked back to the church without another word. Finch decided that his earlier decision to get out of this mess was the correct one. He was going to pack his bag and get on that early stage on Monday morning. He knew that had to be Sarah's father and he knew nothing about the man, but the blow to his face had been enough to tell him that a few more like that and he might never wake up. His jaw felt like it might be broken and he was sure that some of his teeth had been jarred loose by that one blow. He wasn't going to report the man to the sheriff though. He only wanted to get out of this town and away from these people before something worse happened to him. He had seen the dark look in Adam Cartwright's eyes, and he had often heard the term 'if looks could kill' but hadn't entirely understood it until that moment. He hoped that the restaurant would have a bag of ice. He was going to need something for his poor aching jaw and the headache that was building too.

Inside the church, Owen sat and observed doing his best to remain inconspicuous. He noted the older man leave the group of people around Adam and then return about five minutes later to be greeted by Sarah and by an older woman who appeared to be Sarah's mother so Owen assumed the man must be Sarah's father. Curious as to what that could mean, he watched carefully and saw the woman who had to be the man's wife take his hand, examine it, and then talk to him with that strange combination of dismay and pride you sometimes saw women display with their husbands. He wanted to chuckle but held his expression carefully neutral. His guess was that Tobias Wentworth Finch had paid a price for insulting Sarah Mueller Cartwright. It didn't bother him at all and in fact pleased him somewhat in that at least someone had hit that little weasel. All in all things were going quite well. In front of all sorts of upright citizens, Adam Cartwright had threatened Finch saying he would do whatever it took to get him to stop spreading his lies. That was a very clear threat and for anyone who knew Adam, they could quite easily assume that it could imply violence. Sarah has the same look as she sat with Adam as her mother did sitting with her husband. The other Cartwright men looked unsure of themselves as if they didn't know what was likely to happen next. Quite clearly they had never expected anything like this to happen at church services. Owen leaned back and would have patted himself on the back if he could. He had guessed that and was proud that he had outsmarted them so easily bringing the attack to them in what they thought was a safe sanctuary.

Continuing to observe them during the service, Owen had no reason to change his opinion until they were leaving. It was on chance remark that he overheard that reinforced the wisdom of his decision to attend these services. As the Cartwright entourage filed out, he heard Adam ask his wife why Finch would have pulled that stunt at church.

"Sarah, there's something more going on here than the obvious. Someone other than Finch is involved in this. I know it. I only wish I knew who it was."

"I know. There was nothing to be gained for Finch by doing what he did. Someone else wanted you to get in an altercation with him. But the biggest question remains why would they want that? What is the reason for it? Adam, there's a bigger conspiracy here than we know and we need to analyze everything that's happened so far."

"Maybe we need to sit down with Zee and see what he thinks."

"That's probably a good idea."

Then they were too far away and too many people were in the way so that Owen couldn't get closer without being obvious. He thought he had heard enough though. The man he wanted was called Zee. That should help. Now if the fourth one would only show up but perhaps the next step in his plan would draw that one out too. He had to hope that was true. Once back in the hotel, he waited for Clark to come to his room to finalize his part of the plan. He had to get it just right or the plan would falter. They had until the late afternoon to practice though so he thought it would work out to accomplish what he needed to get to the next part of the plan. Then he had Finch summoned to his room. When his man came back to say Finch was done with everything and wouldn't be doing any more, Owen told him to bring Finch to his room even if he had to do it with a gun at the little weasel's back. He noted that his man seemed to enjoy those instructions so he guessed that everyone felt about the same way about Finch. No one was going to miss him. When Finch came in the room, he had that odd look of defiance and fear that he always had. Owen had no patience with it any longer nor did he have any reason left to coddle the man.

"We've got a meeting tonight with Cartwright at the place Clark has rented. You're going to be there. We're going to confront Cartwright and get him to become violent. Then he's going to be arrested. Your part in this ends tonight but not sooner. Do you understand me?"

Finch wanted so much to object, but at least Owen was telling him it was about to be over. He only had to go to the meeting. "So you want me there to get Cartwright upset enough to attack me again? But you'll be there to stop him and he'll get arrested?"

"He'll get arrested. Never fear. By the end of tonight, your worries will be over and Cartwright will be sitting in jail."

Finch wasn't quite sure how to interpret the sneer that Owen had, but he had to assume it was because Owen's plan was about to succeed. "All right. I'll do it, but then that's it. I'm not doing another thing for you."

"I can promise you, Finch, that after tonight, I will never ask another favor of you."

"All right. You'll get me when you need me then?" Owen nodded and Finch moved toward the door looking at the men in the room for any sign that they were going to object. None did. He left as hurriedly as he could. Somehow he never felt safe when he was with those men. He never had questioned why Owen wanted to do this to Adam Cartwright either. He should have. Instead he went to his room and nursed his sore jaw until there was a knock on his door at six.

"Clark did his work. He told Cartwright he had information on what was going on but said the man who needed to tell him couldn't be seen talking to him. He told him where we would be meeting. He agreed to be there at seven. We're all going to be waiting for him."

Owen, Finch, and Clark left then one-by-one after they gave Finch directions to the house and sent him out first. Clark went next and Owen went last. All three were in the house by the time Adam arrived. Zee had said he didn't trust Clark so he trailed Adam and planned to sneak up on the house after Adam entered.

At the window, Owen watched Adam arrive at the house and look around to make sure there was nothing suspicious that he could see. There was a carriage and a horse. The house was lit up normally. He walked to the door and knocked, and Owen signaled to Clark to let him in. When Adam walked in, he was surprised to see Finch there, and then when he saw Owen, he knew why Clark had seemed vaguely familiar. The two men together made the memory come back to him. Owen could see it in the way he reacted. As a precaution, he had a pistol in his hand and kept it pointed at Adam from the moment he entered the house.

"You see. That's exactly what I feared. You remember seeing us leave that house in Denver as you arrived."

"You're going to prison."

"No, but before the night is out, you'll be arrested. If you think your friend outside is going to be any help, he's dead already." Finch turned to Owen in shock at that statement. Owen kept his gun trained squarely on Adam's midsection as he ordered Clark to take Adam's pistol.

The door opened again and one of Owen's men stepped inside. "Johnson got the other one. Knifed him. He's dead. What should we do with him?"

"Have Johnson take him far from the city and away from any roads and bury him. He should cover it up so no one will ever find it."

Owen could see that Adam covered his shock well. He wouldn't have to act much longer. Owen nodded to Clark who hit Adam in the back of the head stunning him and knocking him to the floor. He kicked him a few times for good measure then until Owen told him to stop.

"Finch is a small man. He wouldn't have done much damage."

Finch was confused by what was happening, and he was never going to understand it. Clark raised Adam's pistol, turned to Finch, and shot him point blank in the chest killing him almost instantly. He casually dropped the pistol next to Adam, kicked over a table and some chairs to make it look like there had been a fight, and walked out the door. Owen broke a few glasses and knocked a picture off the wall before following Clark out the door. Clark had rented the house in Finch's name. Johnson had a job to do, but the rest of his men were going to stay there until the sheriff arrived, and then they would tell him they had heard shots or at least a shot fired. Adam Cartwright's good friend was going to go inside that house, find an unarmed Finch shot dead by Adam Cartwright's pistol, and have to arrest Adam Cartwright for murder. Owen and Clark had another house rented and had moved out of the hotel that afternoon without telling Finch. They planned to lay low and wait for events to play out as they hoped they would and would help them along as needed. They would wait for their men to return to tell them what had happened.

Chapter 6

Knowing what they were doing, Adam was powerless to stop them. His face was pressed into the floor as he struggled to overcome the pain from the kicks as well as the dizziness from the blow to his head. He had heard the shot and felt as much as heard the body drop. Even stunned as he was, it wasn't difficult to conclude that Finch was the one who had been shot. Adam worried about Zee and wondered if he was dead. It had all turned into a horrible mess very quickly. He should have listened to Sarah when she told him and Zee not to go to the meeting. They had thought Clark was not a threat or not enough of a threat for them to take more backup. It had been a mistake. Using what strength he could summon, Adam managed to pull himself to his knees, right an overturned chair, and sit on it. With his elbows on his knees, he was able to stay in the chair, and his eyes gradually adjusted to the dim light in the room so he could see Finch's body sprawled out not more than ten feet from him. He was in no shape to do anything more than wait for someone to arrive, and he guessed it was likely to be Sheriff Roy Coffee. He hoped Roy would believe him when he told the story he was going to have to tell but wondered how much he should say before he talked to Sarah and to his father. When Roy got there, he didn't tell him much. Roy did what he had to do.

"Adam, did you shoot this man?"

"No, there was another man here who shot him. Don't bother checking my pistol though because he took my gun as soon as I got here, and he shot Finch with it after he hit me."

"Now who was this man?"

"He said his name was Clark. There was another man here too, but I don't know his name. I saw both of them in Denver when I was working for the government. They were on the other side."

"What possible reason could they have for wanting Finch dead? Seems to me they'd like you being blamed for all that trouble ifn they was part of it, and Finch was laying all the blame on you for everything."

"They want me out of the way. Being blamed for killing Finch is their way to do that."

"Adam, I hate to say this, but I gotta take ya in. Until this is all straightened out, the evidence is stacked up against ya, boy. All those people who heard ya threaten him and now he's dead by your gun, and you're the only one here with five men outside saying no one else left. I gotta do my sworn duty."

"I know, Roy. I expected it, but could you do me one favor?"

"What's that?"

"I need a shoulder to lean on."

Once Adam was in a cell, Roy sent a deputy to the Ponderosa to inform them of what had happened. He wanted to tell them but needed to get going on the investigation. He sent Clem to the house where Finch's body was to take care of that end, and he went to the hotel to question the clerk there. He found out that a Clark had been staying there.

"He checked out early today, Sheriff. He left town."

"Well, Mister Finch didn't check out, but he won't be coming back. You kin send his stuff over to the undertakers."

Roy didn't answer any questions but left immediately to see if Clem had found out anything. He hadn't. The men there claimed that no one had left the house after they had heard the shot. That meant there were five witnesses to dispute Adam's version of events. They weren't exactly stellar witnesses, but a jury was likely to believe them because they were five to his one. It wasn't looking at all good for Adam, and then Roy saw Ben drive a carriage into town with his deputy riding beside him, and he headed back to his office knowing that they would want to see Adam. He had to assume that the person he saw sitting next to Ben was Sarah and expected that the next few hours were going to be unpleasant for him. They were to some extent except Adam told both his wife and his father not to blame Roy. Then he made Roy wonder because he kept asking if he ought to tell Roy the whole story. Finally Roy had had enough.

"Of course, you ought to tell me the whole story. Dammit, I'm the best friend you got in this whole mess, and I can't help you if I don't know what's going on."

That was the first time that Roy realized that Sarah was crying. She was a strong woman, and he wouldn't have expected her to cry about Adam being in jail. He expected temper not tears. Adam saw him staring.

"She's upset because a friend of ours might have died tonight." Roy looked even more confused so Adam began to tell the story about Xavier Gilbert or the man they knew as Zee. Adam explained the theory that Finch's book was a conspiracy to draw Zee there and that the people in the conspiracy probably wanted to eliminate Zee as well as Adam and Sarah.

"Now I met this Xavier. He come into my office and told me what he was doing and swore me to the strictest confidence. I knew he was gonna be watching that Finch feller and he told me he thought there were others involved, but I never heard nothing more from him. But they ain't killed ya or even tried to."

"Haven't they? If convicted, I'll get the gallows for shooting an unarmed man. Putting me in jeopardy will be their method to try to draw out the fourth agent. Mike was already contacted by Zee. We assume he's on his way, but he hasn't contacted us, and Zee hadn't heard from him either. I hope he knows what kind of hornets' nest he's riding into."

"What about Sarah? They must think she's as much a danger to them as you are and this other feller you're worried about."

Ben stepped closer to his daughter-in-law and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "We'll protect her on the Ponderosa. No one will harm her or Andrew."

"Pa, I'm sorry for dragging all of you into this again."

"It's not your fault, Adam. You can't be responsible for what evil men do."

"Adam, I'd like to let you out of here, but I can't see as how I can legally do that with the evidence I have right now. I think a judge has to do it."

"I understand that, Roy. This might be the best thing anyway."

Roy and Ben looked surprised at that, but Sarah nodded. "Yes, they think their plan is working. They think they're using the law to get their way. But Roy is correct too in wondering how they plan to come after me. Why haven't they tried anything yet?"

All were quiet for a time until Adam spoke softly. "Maybe this is it. Maybe luring you to town with Pa was the plan. You might not be getting home safely. Now that I'm here, they can go after you. They wouldn't have done anything to you while the deputy was with you, but you and Pa will leave alone. You'll be vulnerable until you get back home. A distraught father and a distraught wife riding in a carriage at night: anything could happen."

"Son, sometimes it frightens me the way you can get into the minds of villains like that, but you're right about that sounding like the kind of thing they might do. We need a better plan."

"What if I send Clem and another deputy to escort you to the Ponderosa? I don't think they want to create that kind of trouble, and they won't be expecting it." Roy sounded hopeful that his addition could help. The others agreed that his idea was good.

"Pa, we'll need a few extra men to set night guards too. Why don't you go ask some of the men who usually do that for us to go with you now? I doubt they'll attack a party of six or eight. Roy, make sure to give them my rifle and my pistol. If there is trouble, the extra firearms will come in handy."

"I guess I'll be sleeping here are the jail tonight too. I don't want anything to happen to Adam, and now all my deputies are going to be busy."

Within an hour, Roy had the front and back doors of his office locked and barred. He grabbed a blanket, a shotgun, and an extra pillow and bunked down in the cell next to the one occupied by Adam. The two talked for a short time, and then Roy got up and went to get another pistol, which he gave to Adam.

"I know you won't use it on me, but I feel better knowing you can defend yourself if anything surprising happens here."

On the road, five sets of eyes watched the procession heading to the Ponderosa main house and reflected some serious concern about how they were going to tell their boss they had failed in this mission. He had been so happy earlier in the evening. Now they had to give him the bad news. He gave them new orders as soon as they gave him the bad news. They didn't like the new orders, but the man paid well, and they had no doubt what would happen if they crossed him. They turned around and headed back to the Ponderosa wondering where their other man was. They discussed how long it could take to haul a body out to a desolate spot and bury it so no one would ever find it. Of course they didn't have much respect for the man who had been sent to do the job so they laughed a bit about what he was probably doing. Then they got serious and talked about how they could accomplish this new goal.

At their planned destination, but hours earlier, Augie had been startled into a near heart attack when a man suddenly appeared in the parlor. The man had a weapon on his hip and looked like the kind who knew how to use a pistol like that and use it well. Augie was sure he had locked every window and he knew he had locked and barred the doors, so he wondered how the man had entered Adam's home. "How the hell did you get in here?"

"More importantly I would think you would want to know who I am. I know I want to know who you are."

"I'm Augie Mueller. I'm Sarah's Pa. Now would you happen to be that Mike that Adam and his friend Zee been waiting for?"

"That answers a number of questions actually. Obviously Adam trusts you or you wouldn't have had that much information, so yes, I'm Mike. Now, where are Adam and Sarah?"

So Augie told him about what had happened to Adam and that Ben had taken Sarah to town to see him. "I can't tell you any more because that's all we were told before Sarah left. Marcella and I stayed here to watch over Andrew. They're both upstairs."

"Ever heard of the phrase 'divide and conquer' because I think it may apply here."

"You are a suspicious sort, aren't you?"

"It's what's kept me alive for so long."

"So you're thinking they may come here?" Mike nodded. "But why?"

"What better hostage than Adam's son to get him and Sarah to do exactly what they want? They may be waiting for Sarah to come back too. They may even think that taking the two of you hostage could work against Sarah. We should be ready for anything." Mike waited briefly for Augie to understand and to agree before he began outlining what they should do including turning down all the oil lamps in the house so that no one outside could see anything on the inside and would probably think they had gone to bed. They got ready for a fight.

As Ben and Sarah and their group reached the main house of the Ponderosa to be greeted by Hoss and Joe who had waited up worried about what had happened, there was the sudden sound of gunfire from Adam's house. All scrambled for weapons and horses to race to Adam's house as Ben told Sarah to get inside and lock the house.

"I want to help. It's my son and my parents."

"You'll only be in the way. We have a better chance of protecting them if we don't have to protect you at the same time."

Reluctantly, Sarah agreed and went in the house terrified for her son and parents but knowing Ben was right. She locked the door and got a pistol as she watched out the window knowing she would be dying inside for every second until she saw them bring her son and her parents safely back to the main house.

In the fight at Adam's house, Owen's two men realized that with so many men there to fight them, there couldn't be many left at the main house. They left the other three who had been hired locally to fight against the force that was overwhelming and headed toward the main house thinking they might salvage something quite good from the night yet. While the three they left behind kept all those men busy, they hoped they could bring back at least one hostage.

Chapter 7

Before riding to the main house, Owen's two men grabbed one of the Ponderosa horses. When they neared the house, Ribble asked Gallagher how he planned to get Sarah to let her guard down.

"She don't know us and ain't got any reason to trust us. She may shoot us as strangers."

"Ribble, I got a plan. There's one way to get a woman to trust you, and I plan to use it. Trust me. This is gonna work."

They rode into the yard at a fast pace, dismounted, and Gallagher ran up to the door and pounded on it. From the other side of the locked door, he heard Sarah's voice.

"I don't know you. Back away or I'll shoot right through this door."

"Ma'am, Mister Cartwright sent us. He told us to come get you. Your baby got hurt with some flying glass when a bullet took out a window upstairs at your house. He said to grab a horse, any horse, and come get you."

"Oh, my God." She opened the door then to ask a question probably and to accompany them, and Hop Sing's warning of "Missy, no!" came too late. The shock and fear for her baby was clear in her expression. As soon as she stepped outside the door, Gallagher grabbed her and then Ribble stepped up to help. Hop Sing pointed his shotgun at them and ordered them to release her.

"You shoot and you'll kill her too. If you don't, I will. Now we're taking her with us, and if you try to stop us, I'll shoot her in the head. You understand that, Chinaman?" Gallagher had Sarah partially shielding his body.

Helpless to do anything without hurting Sarah, Hop Sing could only watch as the two men took Sarah with them. A bandana was used to gag her, and they used another to tie her hands dragging her to the extra horse and forcing her to mount up by placing a pistol against her head.

"You don't want to make your baby an orphan child, do ya?"

Two hours later, Sarah was roughly pulled from that horse and forced to walk to the house that Clark and Owen were using to lay low. It was on a large one acre lot and ringed with a fence and lots of shrubs and trees. It was almost impossible to see the house until you were halfway up the drive. No one could see them force Sarah into the house, and they had been very careful that no one saw them ride to the house with a gagged woman. Ribble had put his coat on her to disguise that she was a woman, and put his hat on her too ordering her to drop her head down. Anyone seeing them especially at that hour of the predawn morning would likely assume they were bringing home a drunken friend. At the house, once she was inside, the coat and hat were removed showing a defiant Sarah but also a worried one.

"What do we do with her, boss?"

"Tie her up in one of the bedrooms and use something better than that bandana. You don't have to be gentle with her. We only need her alive until her husband is convicted. Once you get that done, get back here and tell me what happened that you ended up with her instead of the baby. Not that I'm complaining but I need to know what happened."

Owen smiled one of those feral smiles of his that always left his men wondering if he was pleased or upset because it was so hard to tell. Owen knew it too and enjoyed the look on their faces as they shoved Sarah down the hall toward one of the bedrooms. Within a few minutes, they were back.

"Somehow they knew we were coming. There were two men there and they had the place set up like a fortress. We woulda been able to get them anyway except a small army came over from the other house. We were five against maybe ten times that many, but it was in the dark so it was gonna take 'em some time to finish us off. It was then that I figured Ribble and I might go on over to the other house to see if she was alone and she was."

"Very good, but how did you ever get close to her. With her experience and with all that shooting going on, I would have thought she would have been very suspicious."

"Boss, Gallagher told her that her baby got hurt in the fight and Mister Cartwright sent us to get her. She opened up that door right quick when he said that."

Owen actually laughed out loud at that. He enjoyed it so much that he told the two men to get a drink and sit down with him and Clark. Then he asked what happened to the other three men.

"My guess is that they got shot or arrested, but seeing as how they was gonna be facing murder and the gallows, my guess is that they're dead. I'm sorry we couldn't do nothing about them."

"That's all right. If they're alive, they'll be more afraid of me than anything, and we'll get a lawyer to go tell them that we'll take care of them and not to worry. They won't talk. Now is that Johnson fellow back yet? The one who killed the Zee fellow and the one I sent out to get rid of the body?"

"Not yet, but if he's doing the job right, he probably won't be back until dawn at least. Takes a while to dig a deep hole like that and then cover it well. We told him to make sure no one would find it, and we didn't think we'd need him for anything very soon anyway. He don't seem so bright, boss."

"He isn't, but sometimes it's good to have a few strong backs like that around to do the heavy lifting just like tonight. None of you wanted that dirty job, did you?" Owen could tell by their looks that they had been happy to let Matt do that particular task.

"Boss, as long as she ain't gonna live anyway, and she's real pretty and all, Ribble and I were wondering if it would be all right if we, you know, kinda took turns with her?"

Disgusted by them but understanding the desire, Owen frowned. "Not right now. I want to get some sleep and I don't want that noise. Later, you can have her all you want. Oh, but one of you needs to get arrested tonight for being drunk and causing a disturbance. I need you to deliver a message to Cartwright in jail before you get out in the morning."

"What message?"

"That he better stay in that jail and plead guilty or his wife is going to die. That ought to be a good enough message for him."

"Won't he know that she's gonna die anyway?"

"Yes, but he won't want to rush it by walking out of that jail free. He'll want that fourth man to find a way to rescue her. Meanwhile, we'll hold her until he hangs and we'll wait for the fourth one to show up to try to do just that."

With that, Owen went to get some sleep. He slept well and woke about five. The house had been quiet so he assumed the others had followed his orders and left Sarah alone. He decided to go out and let them have their fun now as soon as they had some food ready for him. When he opened the bedroom door, he smelled food cooking but also smelled human waste. It was disgusting. As he passed Sarah's room, he knew what she had done and smiled in appreciation of her resourcefulness even as he objected to the crudeness of it. He pulled the door closed and continued to the kitchen. He complimented the men there on the food as he sat at the table and told them Sarah was all theirs. A minute later he heard swearing and some furniture being kicked about and then all three stormed back into the kitchen.

"Smells like a damn Army latrine in there."

"Do you know what she did?"

"Yes, I know. She must have overheard our earlier conversation and took defensive measures. Make sure she's tied securely and then close that door. Let her enjoy the fruits of her labors for the next couple of days. She doesn't need any food or water to add to what she's already done."

"Boss, Ribble and I took a walk. There's three bodies over to the undertakers. Lots of talk in town of how there was an attack on Adam Cartwright's house last night by those three. No one seems to have any idea why it happened. The rest of the talk is about Adam shooting Finch. Most seem to think he mighta done it."

"Good! That's all good. Now I don't see Johnson. Hasn't he come back yet?"

"No, and we got worried too and looked around for him. Kinda asked about him saying we were supposed to play poker with him at the Bucket of Blood and couldn't find him. Ain't nobody seen him."

"I don't like it. What kind of trouble has he gotten into?"

"Well, Ribble is gonna stand guard and I'm gonna get some drinks in me and cause some trouble. Ribble will bail me out in the morning. I'll give Cartwright the warning, but I'll listen too to see if the Sheriff says anything about Matt or about anything else."

Still a bit worried about Matt's absence, Owen did approve of the rest of the plan. He didn't rest easy that night though because Matt still didn't come back, and he worried about what he knew and could be telling someone. Matt was doing his best to come back but found it difficult trussed as he was and tied to his saddle. He had thought he had killed the man. He had certainly acted as if he was dead and he had bled a lot. He had let Matt tie him over the saddle and then lead him miles into the pines to find a secluded spot to bury him. Matt had dug a nice deep hole too without benefit of lantern light or anything else. It had been a test of his nerves and his skills to manage that. Finally he was ready to put the body in the grave and had gone to untie him from the saddle. He pulled him down and dragged him over to the hole, but as he was ready to push him in, the man had reached out a hand, grabbed him by the throat, and thrown him in his own grave. Before he had a chance to react, the man had drawn a pistol and pressed it against his forehead.

"I may be wounded and weak, but I can still pull this trigger, boy. Drop your pistol into that damn hole now. Then climb out the other side and walk slowly over here."

With a pistol on him the whole time, he had been forced to help the man bandage the knife wound in his side. The wounded man was wet with blood down his left side all the way to his knee and across to his right side. Matt had no idea how he was even still awake much less alive. He tried to ask him questions but the man told him to shut up and he had the pistol. Then he tied Matt's hands behind his back before ordering him to get up on his horse.

"Now how can I do that with my hands behind my back?"

"You better find a way or you'll be using that grave as your own."

The man had the voice of death so Matt managed to grab his horse's reins with his right hand even behind his back and led his horse to a fallen log. Then carefully, he climbed on the log and then managed to get himself in the saddle. He looked back with a smile of triumph that faded rapidly as he saw the pistol aimed at his chest. A rope was looped around him and tied under the belly of the horse effectively tying him to the saddle and the horse.

"Don't even think about giving that horse a kick."

The man had taken his horses reins then and led him around to where the other horse was. He stood for a moment leaning against the other horse and then managed to pull himself into that saddle. He rode slowly out leading Matt's horse. Matt asked where they were going but the man said nothing. After a while, Matt knew they weren't headed to town. He guessed they were headed toward the Ponderosa, and he was plenty worried about that. The going was slow and he saw the man having trouble keeping his seat. He waited for hours and finally it happened. The man fell from his horse and lay still on the ground. Matt was bound to his saddle with his hands tied behind him. All he could do was lean down and use his knees and his feet to kick the horse to go and try to get him to turn with knee commands. It was slow going. He had told them that he had killed that man, and he guessed that it was finally true or would soon be true, but he worried about what they would say when they found out that he had not buried him. He tried to think of a way to explain it that didn't make him look like a complete fool. The sun was setting before he saw the buildings of Virginia City. He was actually grateful for that because he had a chance to ride to the house where the boss was without being seen by any one.

While Matt slowly made his way to town, Gallagher was having drinks and getting progressively more belligerent until he got into a fight. As expected, because there were damages, he was asked to pay. He refused and Sheriff Coffee was summoned.

"You can pay the damages now, or you can spend the night in jail, sober up, and pay the damages plus a fine in the morning."

"I don't owe nothing. That other moron started the fight. Let him pay damages."

As expected then, Gallagher was taken to jail and ended up in the other cell. He listened as Adam and Roy talked. Adam was desperately worried about his wife, and apparently his brothers had gone out tracking the men who had taken her and they knew she was being held in town somewhere. Roy and his deputies were investigating and trying to locate where she might be. That had Gallagher worried for he knew his boss had no idea that they had that information. They did confirm that the three local men they had hired had been killed in the assault on Adam's house. At least with that, there were no loose ends. Finally, all was quiet so Gallagher played the rest of the role of a drunk and slept the night away. In the morning, Ribble was there to pay his fine and the damages. As Gallagher was about to be released because he heard Ribble in the office talking to Roy, he leaned up against the bars to whisper to Adam.

"Plead guilty in that hearing today and say you don't want a trial or your wife will be delivered in a box to this office tomorrow. Don't tell this to anyone."

Gallagher jumped back as Adam stood and lunged toward him. The bars separated them or Gallagher was sure that the man would have killed him. He smiled at him instead as Roy came in to release him.

"Good luck in your hearing today, friend. I hope you get to see your wife again before you hang."

"Now that ain't no way to talk to him. You get yourself outta here before I decide to lock you up again for disorderly conduct."

Gallagher could tell that he had angered the sheriff, but he didn't mind. The game was almost over, and his side was winning.

Chapter 8

On the Ponderosa, Zee rolled over and felt excruciating pain even as nausea and dizziness assailed him. He pulled himself to a tree and managed to get himself propped up against it as he evaluated his situation. Wounded, weak, without a horse, and not knowing where he was were the negatives. He was alive and had his pistol and those were the only positives. He wished the horse had stuck around. He might have managed to get back on it. He wondered what the man he had tied to the saddle was going to do. He had heard the others call him Matt and Johnson so had to assume that his name was Matt Johnson, and he hoped to have the opportunity to meet him again someday to repay him for what he had done.

Instead though, Matt was meeting Hoss and Candy. Owen had been so angry with him that he had sent him back to find Zee and make sure he was dead. He hadn't known he was on Ponderosa land. In his defense, he was new to the area and didn't realize how big the ranch was. However that morning as he searched for Zee, Hoss and Candy had found a saddled horse.

"Hoss, there's a lot of blood dried on this saddle and you can see it dripped down the side here. Somebody was hurt bad and slung over this saddle."

"Well, we better find him to see ifn he's still alive whoever it is."

Who they found instead though was Matt Johnson as he searched for Zee. Things looked so different in daylight as he struggled to retrace his path from the previous night. When Hoss and Candy saw him, he never saw them as he was trying to follow his own tracks. When they rode up on him, he tried to make up an excuse but there was no point to it once they saw him.

"Mister, how'd you get blood all over your clothes like that?"

"Me and Hoss here found a horse that had blood all over the saddle, and now we find you with blood all over you. Seems a mite on the suspicious side to me."

About to turn and try to escape, Matt never had a chance as both Hoss and Candy saw the telltale signs of it in his mannerisms and drew down on him before he had a chance to wheel his horse around to flee.

"Now how about you tell me and Candy what you know."

Matt wouldn't talk, but both Hoss and Candy soon noticed the path through the pasture grass that they assumed he had been following. They disarmed him and tied his hands. Matt sighed. Based on his expression, he was going to give up this line of work. Hoss decided it was time to encourage him.

"My brother is sitting in jail, and jest maybe you know something could help him. You talk now and we could see our way to putting in a good word with the judge. Cartwrights got some say in what happens 'round here."

"You're a Cartwright too?"

"Yeah. You're on the Ponderosa right now."

Matt dropped his head in resignation and started talking a moment later. They found Zee soon after and Hoss got him to the main house for medical attention. Then he and Candy took Matt to town to hand him over to Roy. When they got to the jail, they had another big surprise. They had to fish the keys out of one cell where they were laying under the cot. Then they unlocked the cell where an angry Roy was sitting on the cot.

"Your brother has got a lot to answer for."

"He did this to you?"

"Well, no, but that friend of his, Mike, did. He come in here all friendly like and when I turned my back, he stuck a gun in it. I said he wouldn't shoot me, but he said he would. He said he'd put one in my foot or my hand just enough to put me out of commission and Adam would get out of my jail either way so did I want to let him out or get shot and watch him get let out."

"My brother let him do that?"

"Well, he did tell Mike not to do it, but Mike said ifn he pleaded guilty today, they was gonna kill Sarah. That was all it took. Adam never said nothing against it after that. They're out there looking for Sarah, I guess."

"Well, Mister Lewis better watch out then."

"Mister Lewis?"

"Yeah, Roy, we got a guest to take Adam's place. And he's gonna tell you a fine story. Now I do wish he knew more of it, but he'll tell you what he knows. He didn't see the shooting of Finch if you're wondering, but he's got some other information that will help Adam's case like the two men who left that house after Finch got shot."

"By rights, I should go after Adam and his friend for jail-breaking."

"Roy, if a man works for the government and releases an innocent man from jail, is that jail-breaking?"

"Well, um, Hoss, I don't know if I can just let it go like that."

"Let's see what we can do today. Hiram said he was going to get that hearing delayed so maybe he can delay it some more. By the time it's scheduled, there may be a whole different set of people in there being charged with murdering Finch. You do want the right ones charged, dontcha?"

"All right, but you two are gonna wear deputy badges then. When you catch up to your brother, he's gonna be in your custody then so I can rightly say he never broke out of jail."

"You got an extra one there for Joe? He was coming in right behind us with some more men to keep on with the search for Sarah. When we find Adam, we'll let him know where we already looked and where Matt here told us to look."

"He told you where Sarah is, didn't he?"

"He did, but we need to get her out of a house where four armed men are holding her. Trust us, Roy. We'll do it."

Once they got out of Roy's office, both headed to the livery stable where Joe had rented a large freight wagon. He had extra wood installed already on one side up to about three feet. He had just gotten extra long reins from the livery stable so that someone could direct the team from the bed of the freight wagon. A moment later, two men arrived with a small box of dynamite and caps and cord.

"Looks like we're all set. Now, we got to find Adam and Mike."

"Find them?"

"Yeah, Joe, Mike broke Adam out of jail last night. They're looking for Sarah. One way or another, we're all gonna be heading for the same place. Maybe ifn we all ride toward that house by different ways, they'll see us and contact us."

It worked that way too. Adam stepped out to hail Hoss as he drove the wagon. Hoss pulled up and told Adam to get Mike because they were headed to the house where Sarah was being held. "Owen Lewis and a man named Clark have her with two men named Ribble and Gallagher as hired guns. Adam, we got a plan."

"It better be a good one."

"It is." Hoss filled him in on what they planned to do, and Adam told him which part he and Mike would do. Hoss had figured them for that anyway so the plan was intact. At the house, Joe climbed up into a tree and they all waited until he whistled like a bird. It meant that he had a clear rifle shot into the windows of the house and to the front door. Hoss then worked his way into the shrubbery until he had a good firing position to do the same. Once that was accomplished, Candy got ready to drive the wagon with one of the other men in the back with him. They were going to get as close as they could to the house and then start throwing sticks of dynamite at the house trying to blow holes in the front or at the least create a hell of a diversion. Mike and Adam were working their way around to the back of the house, and once the fight began, they would enter the house and find Sarah. Timing was crucial. The men inside would undoubtedly rush to the front with the dynamite blasts, but within seconds, they might realize it was a diversion or decide they needed Sarah as a shield. By that time, Adam and Mike had to be in the house to stop them from harming Sarah. Joe and Hoss hoped to take out two of the men in the house if possible to narrow the odds. Then if the shooting stopped from the front of the house, they would all rush in from the front to help.

The plan worked well. Gallagher was the first image to appear at a window and Joe shot him. The next was Ribble and Hoss got him. That first shot let Clark know that it was an all-out assault and he quickly turned to go get Sarah as the insurance they would need to escape. Adam and Mike shot him as he entered the hallway to the bedrooms at the rear of the house. Knowing it was hopeless, Owen disarmed himself tossing his pistol toward where Ribble lay dying. He then called out to Mike and Adam in the hallway.

"I'm coming out. I'm unarmed. Thank God, you saved me from these outlaws." His tone and attitude belied his words. Adam and Mike knew he was lying and said so. "You have no evidence against me. Oh, and those men tied Sarah up in that room."

Owen pointed to the room where Sarah was tied to the bed. Adam opened the door and almost gagged at the smell. He rushed to open the windows and then to free his wife who lay in her own filth on the bed with her wrists and ankles bleeding from being rubbed raw by rough ropes. She cried but no tears came because she was so dehydrated. Mike watched and then walked to Owen and slugged him in the belly doubling the man over. He used his knee to bring Owen's head back up and knock him flat on the floor on his back before he swung his leg back and connected forcefully with the man's privates. He left him there moaning as he went to get water, soap, and towels. He brought those back to Adam and asked what else he needed. Adam was holding Sarah and asked if he could find something for her to eat. Mike left and pulled the door closed so that they would have some privacy to get her cleaned up a bit. By then, Hoss and Joe and the others were inside. Roy arrived a moment later. Owen had caught his breath and pointed at Mike.

"I want that man arrested for assault. He attacked me and I was unarmed."

"Mike, did you do that?"

"I had to subdue him so that I could get the things that Adam needed to help Sarah. She's been tied up since they took her and even her most basic needs weren't met. It was a shame the condition she was in."

Mike didn't have to say any more than that. People didn't treat women like that as far as Roy was concerned. In fact, no one in the whole area would have accepted treating any woman that way. He decided he better get Owen locked up before any more people heard about what he had done.

"What are you locking me up for? I was a victim here like any other."

"Oh, I think not. I'll tell you more about it at the jail. You boys want to come with me and let Adam and Sarah have some privacy here? We can take these bodies out of here too and take 'em back in that freight wagon ya used. We can send the doc over and he can bring Adam and Sarah back in his carriage. Maybe one of you could see to getting a clean dress at the store and sending it with the doc."

They all wanted to see Owen's face when he saw Matt Johnson sitting in a cell at the jail, but Hoss said he'd get a dress and whatever else the ladies at the store might think that Sarah would need. Joe said he'd go get the doctor and they would stop at the store to pick up whatever packages Hoss had ready for them. Everyone else got to see the look of surprise Owen had, but he didn't give up easily.

"Surely you don't think the word of someone like that is equal to mine. Reasonable doubt will get me off. My word against his."

"Oh, we got a bit more than that. You see, we got Sarah and what she'll say, and we got some from Adam, but the best witness of all is Finch."

"Finch! But Finch is dead!"

"That he is, but the man should have been a journalist and not a hack writer. He could have been a fine investigator too. You see, he wrote down every darn thing you ever said to him and even put the dates on 'em. He made observations too. He drew sketches and darn good sketches they are too. The undertaker was a going through his things seeing what should be kept and maybe if there was anything to be sent to family and he come across this stuff that he thought I ought to see. I already showed all this to the judge and he says it's all admissible as evidence in a trial. Now with what else we got, and with this treasure trove of information, I'd say you could be on that gallows in less than a week."

"But I didn't kill anyone."

Roy didn't have much patience for his excuses and stared at him with those eyes that had seen a lot of men complaining that they were innocent once they were caught. "Conspiracy to commit murder and ordering someone to commit murder is the same charge and the same penalty, and we got you dead to rights on those. Oh, I can pretty much guarantee a jury is gonna see it that way too."

For the first time in decades, Owen Lewis had no plan, no idea of what to do next. He sat down heavily on the cot in his cell and stared at the floor. Everyone there had thought they might cheer at that point, but they found instead that they only wanted to leave. Being anywhere near Owen Lewis made them feel dirty. Roy knew how they felt. Often he felt that way when he had men locked in his cells for perpetrating some awful offenses. It seemed that even the air was fouled by having them there. It had that kind of feel with Owen there. Once he was gone, the cells would need a complete cleaning and airing out. Hopefully it wouldn't be long. The judge was in town and said he would stay. The evidence was overwhelming. As soon as Sarah was capable of testifying, the trial would begin. Roy hoped that Adam or his brothers would let him know soon about Sarah.

Chapter 9

After crying for a time, Sarah next had begged Adam to please take her home.

"I can't take you home yet. You don't have to worry about Andrew. He's fine. Hoss and Joe told me that your parents and Pa have been taking great care of him and he's fine and safe at Pa's house. I'm sure he's missing you, but we need to get you cleaned up first. Your wrists and ankles need to be seen by Paul."

"No, Adam. I don't want him to see me like this."

"Then you need to let me help you clean up."

Logic won out, and Sarah began cooperating with Adam's efforts to clean her up. He had already stripped the bed and thrown the offending bedding out the window. Now he helped Sarah shed her soiled clothing and he threw that out the window as well. With the windows open and the soiled material gone, the room began to smell much better. Adam had a sheet he had found in an armoire and used that to wrap around Sarah's shoulders as he gently washed her from the waist down. He dumped that water out and refilled the basin. Then he wrapped the sheet around her lower body and softly sponged her upper body before pulling the sheet back up to wrap around her. Tossing that water, he next had her sit in a chair as he turned his attention to her badly abraded wrists and ankles. He was beginning to bathe those in cool water when there was a knock on the door startling Sarah, but Hoss' voice immediately reassured them.

"Me and Joe got Doc Martin with us and some clothes for Sarah from the store."

"Sarah, can I let the doctor in now?" She nodded so Adam went to the door letting in the doctor who went immediately to Sarah's side. "Hoss, there's some stuff outside the bedroom window that needs to be burned."

"We can take care of that for ya. Anything else ya need?"

"More clean water. I emptied both pitchers you brought earlier, and I don't want to leave her yet to get anything."

Understanding why without any more details, Hoss went to get some water after Adam gave him the empty pitchers. Then Adam was able to refill the basin with clean water for the doctor who was examining Sarah's wrists and telling her they were going to need bandages, but he thought her ankles probably would be fine with being kept clean and with wearing soft stockings. He had to ask if there was anywhere else that she had been injured, and Adam answered for her telling the doctor that he had seen nothing to indicate any other injury. Paul knew Adam would have had him check even for the slightest hint of a problem so it saved Sarah the extra pressure of having Paul have to examine her at that point. Once her wrists were treated and bandaged, and her ankles cleaned up, Paul told Adam that rest, good food, and good care were the prescription. Both men smiled those little smiles that said they knew that was exactly what she was going to get and in large measure. Adam helped her dress then, and Sarah had to admit that having new, clean clothing helped banish a great deal of what had happened but walking out of that house into the fresh air did even more. Joe was there with a rented carriage. Adam nodded in appreciation of his brothers' thoughtfulness.

"Roy had said Doc could give you a ride to his office, but Hoss and me thought you should just go on home. Sarah needs to see Andrew and be at home. She doesn't need any more pressure today."

"And Joe and me are riding home with ya too. Ain't nothing here that we gotta do any more. Mike said he's taking care of any legal stuff for ya."

A little chagrined at that point, Adam had to tell Sarah that Mike had broken him out of jail. She wanted to know why, and he told her about Mike's reasoning that Owen would have killed her as soon as he went to court and pleaded guilty. "And in our defense, we didn't know that Zee was alive and that they knew about this house."

"Zee is alive! Why didn't you tell me?"

"Oh, I guess I thought you knew although now I don't know why I thought that. I'm sorry. I only found out too that he survived. He's at Pa's house too I don't know all the details. I guess we'll both learn that story."

By the time the group reached the main house, Sarah had regained some of her spirit. Adam as amazed at her resilience, but then again, her strength was one of the things that had attracted him to her in the first place. Of course, she wanted Andrew and her parents came out of the house with him with Marcella holding him. Andrew took one look at Sarah and turned his head away from her.

"What's wrong? Doesn't he want to see me?"

"My dear, he's upset with you. He wonders where you've been for the last couple of days. He doesn't understand anything that's happened, but all he knows is that his mother abandoned him. Now, he'll get over it. All babies do. Here, you take him. It won't take him long to remember that you're the most important person in the world to him, and he won't even remember that you were gone."

With a crooked little smile, Ben agreed with her. Adam asked him if he had had the same experience.

"Oh, yes, I remember coming home to children upset with me for being gone. Joseph especially could pout very well about that, but Marcella is absolutely correct that they forget all about it."

Soon Andrew did find his favorite snuggling position with his head resting on his mother's left shoulder. She had tears in her eyes and Adam escorted her into the house where they found Zee relaxing in the blue chair by the fireplace.

"Nice place your family has here, Adam. Couldn't think of a nicer place to spend my recuperation."

"I was worried there for a while that they were right when they said you were dead, but I should have known better."

"It was close. Damn kid came out of nowhere with that pig sticker and ran me through before I had a chance to react. I was on the ground and I heard him tell the others that he had killed me. Then I knew the only chance I had was to play along with that and hoped they didn't do anything to guarantee the kid was right. He threw me over the saddle of my horse and tied me there. I think that may have actually helped me because it put pressure on the wound and probably slowed the bleeding."

"But how did you get away?"

"Sarah, I waited until he dug my grave. He was tired by then, and I took my only chance. I caught him so off guard, I was able to get the drop on him. Kid never disarmed me because he thought I was dead."

"I tied him up and to his horse, but then at some point I must have fallen off mine. I don't remember much after we started riding until I woke up here. Everything that happened is kind of foggy. It's been so nice here though. Your father gave me the guest bedroom down here to use which is very handy. I know it's going to be a little crowded now, but I can move to the bunkhouse if you need that room."

Sarah was curious as to why it would be crowded and Hoss had to explain to both her and Adam. "Yer house kinda got shot up a lot. Most, well, all the windows on the front got shot out, and the door is a mess. We need to do some repair work before you kin go back home. We got a lot of your clothes here already. Your folks did most of that. You spend a week or so here and we should be able to have everything back in order."

Zee saw the bandages on Sarah's wrists then and asked how badly she had been hurt. "Not badly at all, Zee. This is from being tied." Adam asked her then if she was going to tell them what she did. "Oh, I suppose I may as well tell all of you. You're going to hear it all anyway in court, I suppose. They tied me to the bed and I overheard what they planned to do before they killed me, so I made sure that they wouldn't like the, ah, smell or the, ah, general condition of the experience."

"Sarah!" Marcella was shocked, but then Augie began to chuckle a bit and she stared at him.

"My dear, would you rather the other thing had happened? Our daughter certainly is resourceful."

"I would have retched if I could have. I felt sick but I had nothing in my stomach so that didn't work."

Adam took one of Sarah's hands in his as she held Andrew as she sat on the settee. "You've been feeling sick a lot lately."

Grimacing slightly, Sarah had a suspicion that everyone in the room was going to guess the same thing Adam was going to guess and about the same time. "Yes, I have."

His eyes got rather wide and then narrowed. "When were you going to tell me?"

"As soon as I was sure. I thought perhaps while my parents were still here and we had a nice peaceful dinner to discuss it, but things kind of got rather wild."

"I thought Doctor Martin said that at your age we shouldn't expect a child so soon."

"I guess if we could, ah, well, we can discuss this later." Sarah had been going to say that they made a baby with one loving encounter the first time, so she wasn't surprised she was with child again so soon, but with an audience, she thought better about having that discussion.

"I wondered why you opened that door and let them take you."

"I didn't 'let' them take me. I fought back."

"Of course you did, sweetheart. I meant that you're smarter than that. Hop Sing told Hoss that he tried to warn you but you were already opening the door. But your worry about Andrew and your emotions at a peak because of being with child, and you made a mistake."

"I know. Almost as soon as that door opened, I knew I shouldn't have, but it was too late. They were there with guns and that was that. After being out of the business for over a year, my reflexes were off too. I wasn't thinking like an agent any more. I was thinking like a mother, and I was still upset that you were in jail."

"I understand. We need to make sure you have more protection in the future."

"I'm sorry about that, Adam. I never thought of them coming here to the house." Ben knew too that he should have stayed with Sarah instead of rushing off with the other men. If he had stayed behind, they would never have gotten her to open that door.

"It's all right, Pa. It all worked out. We know now what we have to do for the future."

"Maybe I could help with that." Zee had been listening and had an idea. "I've been thinking of retiring too. That kid nearly retired me permanently. I think I've served long enough. I wouldn't mind working for you full time and learning to be a ranch hand. I do know a thing or two about providing security too."

Sarah looked hopefully at Adam who grinned. It was a win-win for all of them. "Zee, that sounds like a great idea, but you do know that ranch hands make a lot less money than Treasury agents do."

"Oh, I know, but I have quite a bit of money saved. I never had much need to spend my own money while I was working so I saved and invested. I don't really need a job, but this will be a great place to retire and live with my friends and keep busy. In fact, I was talking with Augie about a little investment I might make with him. He's thinking of building a dairy in California and I might finance it for him. I don't know a thing about dairying, but he does, and I have the money so it would be a fifty-fifty proposition."

It was a tie as to who was more shocked, Sarah or Adam. They sat there openmouthed as the others smiled and waited for their response. Augie started talking when Sarah said nothing.

"Mama and I wouldn't mind being closer to our daughter and grandchildren, but the grass here is not so good for dairy cows. Ben said that on the western slopes of the mountains though, the valleys are green with good grass and that grain can be grown. We would like to bring in good dairy cows and make butter and cheese to sell." Hoss grimaced at the cheese idea but Augie knew how to make him smile. "Maybe we grow some hops and even make some beer. Beer and cheese are good together, and Mama makes good thick bread that makes it all good. We can have a feast."

"You're staying then?"

"No, we cannot stay. We have to go back home and sell the farm we bought, but there was a family interested in buying. They recently arrived and have many children to help work the farm so I think they will still want it. Then we need to find cows to bring with us and we must have a farm there in California. Mister Gilbert said he will do the purchasing as he says the people there will sell to him better than to us. I know what he means about that. My accent might make things harder at first for us, but when they taste our products and see us build a business, then they will accept us, I think."

"And you'll be close enough to visit."

"Yes, to visit but not to interfere. I know how independent my daughter is. But one day, Andrew will know that both his grandfathers contributed to building this country."

"Perhaps if you need plans drawn for the dairy or anything like that or help with construction, I could help."

"Yes, Adam, we were hoping that you would be willing to help. What of your friend Mike?"

Looking over at Zee, Adam got the look he expected. "Mike is probably already gone. He's the best at what we did. He's a natural at it. Nobody among us even knows his last name. He's a ghost. He's there and then he's gone. He's the quiet one, and lots of time, people can't even remember that much what he looked like after he leaves. Ask Roy or someone like that to describe him later and see what you get."

Hoss and Joe looked at each other and frowned. "Joe, he had brown hair, didn't he?"

"Kinda brown, maybe closer to light brownish. He had brown eyes though."

"No, his eyes were dark blue."

"No, they were definitely brown, or maybe hazel."

"Well, he was your height."

"He was not. He as at least as tall as Pa. Maybe even as tall as Adam."

"Well, he was skinny."

"He was muscular. He probably weighed two hundred pounds."

"Aw, Joe, he did not!"

The rest of them started laughing then ending that conversation. They never heard from Mike again. There never was a need for him so he was never there again.

Owen's trial was as swift as Roy had predicted. The defense had almost nothing so it was a full day of presenting evidence and witnesses against Owen Lewis, and then his lawyer trying to argue that he had never actually killed anyone, that the writings of a novelist shouldn't be trusted, that a distraught woman couldn't be expected to know who was saying what in another room, that Adam's testimony was self-serving, and that Matt Johnson was too stupid to actually know what he was talking about. If it had only been one of those things, the jury might have been swayed, but the preponderance of the evidence was overwhelming. The jury never left the room when the judge said they should go deliberate. The front row turned to the back, all heads nodded in agreement, and the foreman asked if they all agreed he was guilty. They raised their hands and said yes. Owen jumped up and screamed that it was a miscarriage of justice. The judge told him to sit down or he would be restrained. Then he sentenced him to hang two days later. The sentence was carried out. Ben and Adam were there. They didn't like being there, but both felt that they needed to know that justice had been done. When the noose was tightened around Owen's neck, he began to cry, and when the trap door was about to be dropped, he looked up at the sky and suddenly screamed. The scream was abruptly choked off by the noose tightening around his neck when he dropped through the opening.

"What do you suppose the scream was about, Pa?"

"Men like that who follow the crooked paths through life and ignore God's will often don't believe or profess not to believe in the Almighty. I think he may have gotten a vision just before he got his final justice on earth of what his eternal reward was going to be. It must have been a terrifying and horrible sight to see what he will face for the evil that he did."


End file.
